The present invention relates to a coffee roasting apparatus and, more specifically, to an apparatus for roasting green coffee beans in a microwave oven.
Coffee is the world""s most popular beverage after water, with an estimated 400 billion or more cups consumed annually. According to popular legend, coffee was first discovered in northern Africa by a goat herder who observed his goats acting unusually frisky after eating the berries from a particular type bush. The goat herder tried eating the berries himself and discovered that they gave him renewed energy.
Monks, after hearing about these berries, dried them so that they could be transported to distant monasteries. The berries were reconstituted in water, the fruit eaten, and the liquid drank to provide heightened alertness for prayer time. Coffee eventually traveled to Turkey, where beans were first roasted, crushed, and boiled in water to create the first version of the beverage enjoyed by so many today.
Today, specialty coffees are typically roasted in small batches at 400xc2x0 in either a drum-type roaster, in which the coffee beans are tumbled in a heated rotary drum, or a hot air roaster, in which coffee beans tumble on a current of hot air. During roasting, sugar and other carbohydrates within the bean become caramelized, which gives coffee its flavor and aroma.
Many misconceptions exist regarding the optimum time after roasting to enjoy coffee. Generally, coffee is best if used within a day or two after roasting. In contrast, green coffee beans are good for years if stored in a cool, dry environment. Unfortunately, the coffee that most coffee drinkers consume was roasted long before it was brewed. Even afficionados of coffee are not likely to regularly experience their beverage of choice at its peak of perfection.
To alleviate this problem, a number of consumer or home-use coffee roasting devices have been developed. Typically, these require at least one additional piece of equipment, which must be stored in the already crowded kitchen of the coffee drinker, who is already hard put to find space to store his grinder, press, espresso machine, and other assorted paraphernalia needed for enjoyment of his beverage of choice.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to take advantage of the long shelf life of green coffee beans and better flavor by using the coffee beans shortly after roasting by providing for home roasting of coffee beans.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposable device for roasting an amount of coffee to be consumed by an individual user within a day or two.
More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a roasting apparatus that roasts the coffee beans by use of microwave energy.
These objects, as well as others that will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, are accomplished by a microwavable package for roasting coffee beans in which the package is shaped to be relatively larger in two dimensions than in a third dimension so that it presents a generally flat appearance or configuration. The package comprises a paper outer layer and an inner layer that includes a microwave susceptor. On the interior of the package a filter is provided, and a vent permits communication between the interior and exterior. The outer layer may be variously, kraft paper, bond paper, or filter paper. The inner layer may comprise a printed dipole antenna or a thin film conductor. The vent may be at least one perforation through both the inner and outer layers or a series of perforations. The package may also be provided with a see-through window for viewing the coffee beans before the package is opened to determine the degree to which the beans have been roasted. In a preferred embodiment, the package includes supports for maintaining the package in a generally vertical orientation when it is placed in a microwave to roast the coffee beans contained therein.